94 Pu Plutonium

Plutonium, a silvery, very heavy and hard metal, is perhaps the most dangerous of all elements. It was in the bomb of Nagasaki and, together with uranium, involved in the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters. In multiple nuclear tests it devasteted huge areas. 244Pu, the most stable isotope, has a half-life of 80 million years. In nature, plutonium only occurs in extremely small amounts, all that is in use is artificially made from uranium. Apart from its radioactivity, it is very toxic. As fissile material, commonly 239Pu is used. When hit by a neutron, this decays and releases more neutrons. If not fissioned, most plutonium decays to uranium.

Molten and glazed sand from the nuclear test range Maralinga (South Australia). In Maralinga, uranium and plutonium bombs were tested in the 1950s and 60s. This piece weighs 4 grams, the original size in cm is 0,5 x 2 x 3. Measured radiation dose 0.5 μS/h.